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As efforts continue to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Canadian Forces leadership is expected to soon decide whether to cancel the annual movement of thousands of military personnel and their families to new jobs across the country.

Canadian Forces leadership to decide whether to cancel movement of thousands of military personnel to new jobsBack to video

The Canadian Forces has already put on temporary hold trips by military personnel to look for accommodations in the geographic areas where they will begin their new assignments, said Capt. Kathleen Soucy, spokesperson for Military Personnel Command.

Such “house-hunting” trips have been put on hold for three weeks.

“Right now we are waiting for additional guidance,” she added. “Many members are asking what is going on and we are looking at that.”

A decision could come within the next week.

Around 11,000 military personnel move each year. That happens as military personnel are promoted or sent to new positions in units or other jobs at bases around the country. Others are moved to various headquarters overseas.

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The busiest time for postings and relocations from one community to another is during what is known as the “Active Posting Season” or APS, according to the Canadian Forces. During APS, about 5,000 to 6,000 members receive their posting messages, usually during the spring. Those come 90 days before the date they are expected to report to the new location.

Military personnel can usually negotiate their actual date for reporting to work within 30 days before or after their official reporting date, the Canadian Forces noted.

There are usually another 3,000 additional annual moves where the federal government pays for those leaving the Canadian Forces to relocate to a geographic location of their choice.

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The annual military posting season comes at a time when federal government officials are advising Canadians to stay at home and practice social distancing in an effort to reduce the number of cases of COVID-19.

Military training schools in Borden, Ont. and other locations are also being closed.

The Canadian Forces also announced Tuesday that officer cadets at its universities in Kingston, Ont. and Saint-Jean, Que. were being sent home. They will complete their studies online.

“Officer cadets will begin, immediately, to depart the campus once essential administration is completed and arrangements can be made for their travel home, where their responsibility will be to stay safe and healthy (their mission will be to respect social distancing and practice self-isolation), complete their academic year online, and be ready for follow-on tasks that could include summer training or force employment in roles / tasks yet to be determined in support of the broader Canadian Armed Forces missions,” noted the message to cadets at Saint-Jean. A similar message was sent to cadets at the Royal Military College in Quebec.

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The pandemic has already caused the cancellation of Exercise Maple Resolve, the army’s main training event for the year, as well as a naval exercise off the coast of Africa. HMCS Glace Bay and HMCS Shawinigan, which were to take part in that naval training, are now returning to Halifax. The ships are expected to arrive in mid-April.

Maple Resolve was scheduled to take place from May 11 to 24 at Wainwright Alta. It normally involves approximately 5000 personnel and 1450 pieces of major equipment.

“The current situation with COVID-19 is unprecedented and prudence demands we adopt a posture that allows us to best support civilian authorities should the need arise while safe-guarding the well-being of our personnel and the broader Canadian public,” Department of National Defence spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier stated.

In addition, the Canadian Forces is also limiting public access to its recruiting centres across the country. The military is continuing to recruit but has asked new applicants to begin their recruiting process using its website.

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